A Weasel's Light
by TheOneMagic
Summary: [PREQUEL TO Aggrieved Hearts] They say that everyone has a special person that brings light into their life. Itachi had met his Light at the age of 4 in a war torn area close to Konoha. That day... they were scarred for life and they have hated wars and bloodshed ever since. However, another tragedy strikes that changes their fates forever.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own Naruto. I don't remember where I found the cover picture but I added the words to it. :P**

**Hikari's an OC and the description of her is in my profile :)**

**The Girl Named Hikari**

Out of the previous shinobi world wars, the Third Great Shinobi World War was devastating. Children who have not yet reach the age of ten are thrown into the war once they are able to mold chakra. This was introduced into the war due to the lack of soldiers especially for Iwagakure and Konohagakure. However, who is to say that it is not true for the other great nations as well?

Far away from the main battlefront, a young boy with gray hair, pupiless pink eyes, and a deep scar running down his left cheek carried a bundle within his arms. This was the Fourth Mizukage Yagura. Yagura had not reached the tender age of 21 but yet he stood there at both his parents' grave, holding the bundle within his arms. The bundle in his arms was his one month old younger sister. Both his parents had died soon after his younger sister had been born. His father died fighting in the war while his mother died during childbirth. As a matter of fact, Yagura had received his scar protecting his sister from attackers who weren't supportive over Yagura becoming Mizukage after his mother passed away.

The young Mizukage then looked down at the nameless child who was staring up at him with bright blue eyes. The child smiled at him before he smiled back lovingly at his sister, "Seems like you inherited father's eyes. Did you inherit father's kekkei genkai as well?"

The young girl looked up at him innocently before giggling. The young girl brought a gentle smile on the Mizukage's face. "Hm… Hikari… your name shall be Hikari since you seem to be the only ray of light in this war torn village."

The newly named girl looked up at the Mizukage and giggled upon hearing her name. Yagura smiled yet again at his younger sister.

"I promise I won't let you die in war like father has…" Yagura promised his sister as she dozed off into a sleep.

Nearly two years pass before Hikari woke her kekkei genkai. She was playing by a small lake near the Mizukage Tower when she accidentally slips down into the lake. However, she did not come into contact with water. Instead, the young girl came into contact with ice. As she stood up and tried to climb out of the lake, the pier began to turn into ice as well. She held her hand up and envisioned ice in her mind. With that single thought a single snowflake appears in her hand. She looked on shocked as she quickly ran into the Mizukage Tower in search of her older brother.

"Nii-san! Look! Look what I can do!" Hikari babbled as she showed him the snowflake she had just created earlier. Yagura looked at her shocked before crushing the snowflake from her hands.

"Hikari don't ever show that to anyone! Do you understand!?" Yagura begged his younger sister. Hikari looked up at him confused.

"But it's pretty Nii-san." Hikari stated as Yagura shook his head.

"It's pretty but very dangerous Hikari. Don't ever show that to anyone except me okay?" Yagura reiterated as he comforted his sister. Hikari nodded her head as Yagura got Hikari to leave the Mizukage Tower.

Unbeknownst to the two, a fellow Kirigakure shinobi had saw Hikari show her kekkei genkai to the Mizukage. This Kirigakure shinobi smirked as he quickly grabbed the unsuspecting Hikari and placed her under a genjutsu. You see, not all Kirigakure shinobi fully support the Yondaime Mizukage and would love to find any chance they have to assassinate him and/or impeach him. However in this case, this man attempts to create a weapon out of the young kekkei genkai user.

Before long, Hikari awakens being carried by the Kirigakure soldier while he is walking away from Kirigakure with three other shinobi. Her kidnapper doesn't seem to notice and continues to converse with his comrades, "Tch. Who knew the Mizukage's stupid younger sister had the same kekkei genkai as the Yuki Clan? We can get revenge on the Mizukage and win this war at the same time! The more shinobi with kekkei genkai we have out there will help us win and if the girl dies, that's even better!"

"I DON'T WANT TO HELP YOU! I WANNA GO BACK TO YAGURA-NII!" Hikari shrieks out in an act of protest against her kidnappers. Hikari thrashed around in her kidnapper's arms before she decided to bite her kidnapper's arm and manages to escape him.

She begins to run as the other kidnappers run after her. She looks back scared. 'Yagura-nii isn't here to protect me.'

"I got you! You stupid brat! It'll be more useful to kill her now instead of making the brat fight!" A kidnapper said as he held the thrashing child in his arms.

"LET ME GO!" Hikari shrieks as she held her hand in front of the kidnapper. Suddenly the kidnapper's face became encased in ice as Hikari was freed from his grasps.

"You fucking brat!" The other kidnappers attempted to grab her before she flung her arm back at them piercing all of the kidnappers with her ice. She looked back at the kidnappers to find them all dead.

Horrified. Hikari began to run back to Kirigakure in search of her brother. 'Yagura-nii was right. It might be pretty but it's really dangerous! … I don't want to hurt anyone else!'

Unfortunately for Hikari, when she killed the Kirigakure kidnappers, she had already been brought to the war front. Even if she wants to return home, she is a thousand miles away from Kirigakure.

Meanwhile when the Yondaime Mizukage finally realized the disappearance of his younger sister, he became enraged. "Someone must've seen her use her kekkei genkai and kidnapped her to fight on the battlefield!"

"Well it seems like you're smart enough to realize this." A man with a swirl mask stated behind the Mizukage. Before Yagura could move, the man revealed a sharigan from his mask and trapped the Mizukage in a genjutsu.

"Hm. Now Yondaime Mizukage Yagura, you will obey me and only me. Now tell me what will you do since your sister is dead?" The man asked as Yagura stared at him in a daze.

"I will not search for her." The Mizukage stated as the masked man smirked at him. Yagura then went to take his seat in his office while the masked man left the tower.

'Looks like I didn't even have to get rid of the girl myself. Luckily the Yondaime reinforced the Sandaime Mizukage's policies of having academy students being force to slaughter each other to promote. Now I can plan Madara's plans here.' The man thought to himself as he shunshin back to a man colored half in black and the other half in white.

"All is going according to plan Zetsu,"

One year has passed and in Konohakagure, a young boy walked around in a garden. The young boy was at the tender age of four and carried a fan-like shape on the back of his shirt. After the boy went to look towards the lake, another boy with similar features runs up to greet him.

"Itachi! Your otou-san and okaa-san told me to tell you that you should probably go home soon!" The young boy told to Itachi as he nodded at his words.

"Thank you for telling me Shisui. I will take my leave now." Itachi said. Both he and Shisui began to walk back towards their home when a mysterious person sneaks up behind them. Shisui being nearly three years older than Itachi has already applied to the Academy. Shisui quickly noticed the presence as the mysterious man grabbed both him and his cousin, knocking them both unconscious.

"Tch. How knew these Uchiha brats would be easy to kidnap?" The mysterious man remarked to himself as he carried both kids outside the village. He was heading towards the Iwagakure camp posted a few miles near a small town outside Konoha. It was risky seeing how close to the enemy they were, but nonetheless Iwakagure had decided to take the chance.

Once the two boys were awake, they noticed that they were bounded by rope and the Iwagakure shinobi had let them alone. Shisui quickly got both him and Itachi out of the ropes.

'They sure are idiots if they think a rope can keep us here.' Shisui thought to himself as he and Itachi bolted out of the camp quietly. They noticed that the camp was near the mountains so they both sneakily went up towards the mountains to see how far from the village they were. As they went up the mountain, they couldn't help but to notice how war torn the area looked.

"Shisui… are all parts of the war like this?" Itachi asked as he glanced towards the area filled completely with dead shinobi. Shisui gulped and nodded. Itachi looked at him shocked.

"Shisui… I don't like war…" Itachi said bluntly as Shisui sliently agreed. Shisui looked towards the camp where they currently escaped from and noticed several Iwagakure shinobi climbing up the mountain.

"Itachi we need to hide fast! Some of the Iwagakure are coming up the mountain too!" Shisui whispered as both he and Itachi ran towards a cave in the mountain. The quickly went as far back as they could and hid behind a rock.

They could hear the Iwagakure shinobi as they walked past the cave. "I think something's in here!"

Itachi and Shisui closed their eyes in fear. The footsteps of the Iwagakure shinobi stopped. Both Itachi and Shisui looked towards the entrance of the cave to see the Iwa shinobi standing there looking into the cave. Upon closer inspection, they noticed that the cave entrance was covered in a type of ice.

"I didn't think a cave could have a mirror…" The Iwa shinobi looked back towards the ice again before leaving the cave with disinterest. Itachi and Shisui sighed in relief.

"That guy is really an idiot isn't he?" Both Itachi and Shisui's eyes widen upon hearing the new voice. They turned to look at the voice to find a girl with grayish almost silver hair looking at them. She looked about the same age as Itachi.

"Don't worry! I'm not an enemy! I was the one who made the ice at the entrance. My name's Hikari." Hikari disclosed to the two. Both Itachi and Shisui kept their guards down upon hearing that she had gotten the Iwa shinobi away from the cave entrance.

"Um Hikari… why are you here by yourself? Where are your parents?" Shisui asked the girl as she sighed.

"My parents passed away. My father died before I was born fighting in this war while my mother died during childbirth. My brother is still alive… I think… I don't really know because I was kidnapped from him a year ago…" Hikari remarked looking down towards her feet.

"I'm sorry about that." Itachi said to the girl as she looked up at him and smiled.

"It's fine. If you're wondering I was kidnapped because of my kekkei genkai." Hikari sighed as she pointed to the ice.

"So your kekkei genkai is ice?" Shisui asked her as she nodded.

"My father had this kekkei genkai and only I received this kekkei genkai. My brother didn't get this kekkei genkai." Hikari stated as she looked back towards the cave entrance.

"Wait but that doesn't really tell us why you're here." Itachi asked as Hikari looked back towards the floor.

"I was originally from Kirigakure. My kidnappers took me here and I don't know how to go back…" Hikari said as she thought about her older brother.

"Well does your brother know that you're kidnapped?" Shisui asked as Hikari nodded her head.

"Then why isn't he?" Shisui asked as Hikari interrupted him.

"I think he thinks I'm dead now…" Hikari said with tears in her eyes. Itachi went up to her and hugged her.

"Everything's okay. We can help you go back to him." Itachi comforted the girl. Hikari sniffed before shaking her head.

"No I can't go back. I heard people with kekkei genkai are being discriminated in Kirigakure right now… so if I return I would just be hurt even with my brother's protection." Hikari sniffed as Itachi looked towards Shisui and nodded.

"Then why don't you come back to Konoha with us?" Itachi asked as Hikari looked confused.

"Yeah! I'm sure you'll fit right in with Konoha!" Shisui added with a fist raised into the air. Hikari laughed.

"Are you sure?" Hikari asked as both Itachi and Shisui nodded their heads. Hikari laughed as she thanked them.

Shisui looked around the cave. "Um so do you know how we can return to Konoha right now?"

Hikari hesitantly nods her head. "Is Konoha the village with the big walls?"

Itachi and Shisui nodded their heads as Hikari began to lead them towards the back of the cave. Towards the back of the cave there was a little tunnel where you had to crawl through to meet the other side. When the three of them finally crawled through the tiny tunnel, they heard voices. They quickly hid behind a nearby tree as two Iwagakure shinobi walked by and stopped near their tree. Shisui and Itachi instantly knew both Iwa shinobi: one of the shinobi was the one who kidnapped them while the other was the one who went by the cave they were in.

"HOW DARE YOU NOT FIND THEM!? A CAVE WITH A MIRROR?! THAT'S OBVIOUSLY SUSPICIOUS!" The Iwa shinobi that kidnapped them shouted at the cowering shinobi.

"I-I'm sorry senpai…" The cowering shinobi stuttered as his superior glared at him more.

"Sorry isn't good enough! You'll pay with your life!" The superior shouted as he threw a glob of white at the cowering shinobi.

"But senpai!" The shinobi shouted in fear. The superior smirked and set the bomb. Itachi, Shisui, and Hikari looked on horrified as they saw the man blow up in front of their eyes.

"Senpai! I found the kids!" A voice behind them snaps them out of their horrified stupor as they soon found themselves surrounded by the Iwa shinobis.

"Oh and the Yuki girl is here with them too." The superior said as Shisui pulled both Itachi and Hikari behind him.

Shisui glared at them while Hikari looked around at the surrounding shinobi and Itachi looked blankly towards the floor. The Iwa shinobi proceeded to get closer to the three children when suddenly Hikari pushed herself in front of Shisui and waved her hands at them. Ice appeared surrounding the Iwa shinobi while Hikari grabbed both Itachi and Shisui and dragged them both running to the village surrounded by walls.

"DON'T LET THEM ESCAPE!" The superior said as the Iwa shinobi ran after them.

However, before the Iwa shinobi could even get close to the three children a yellow flash flew by and took all of the shinobi down. Soon several Konoha shinobi were surrounding the Iwa shinobi and two men walked towards the three children. One of the men had sunshine yellow spiky hair while the other greatly resembled Itachi. Hikari quickly hid behind Shisui and Itachi as the two men came closer to the three.

"Shisui. Itachi. Are you two okay?" The man that resembled Itachi asked as Shisui nodded his head.

"We didn't get hurt Fugaku-san. But we saw something we weren't supposed to see…" Shisui went off as he looked towards the traumatized Itachi.

The blond man noticed the little girl behind Shisui and Itachi and asked, "So whose that behind you."

Hikari quickly tried to hide behind Shisui. This would've work if Shisui hadn't pushed her in front of him. "This is Hikari. She helped us get away from the Iwa shinobi."

"Oh really now? Well thank you very much for saving my son and nephew Hikari-chan." Fugaku stated as Hikari looked towards the floor embarrassed.

Itachi, snapping out of his stupor, looked towards Hikari. He then asked his father, "Otou-san can bring Hikari back to the village? Hikari doesn't have anywhere to go."

"And we won't leave without her!" Shisui added as Hikari continued to look towards the floor.

Fugaku looked up towards the blond man and asked quietly, "Minato, what should we do? We don't know if she's a spy or not. If she was the one who created all the ice, I'm sure Danzo will get her to be a part of Root."

Minato thought about it. It was true that they didn't know whether or not Hikari was a spy or not. Even if she wasn't, if she was the one who created all the ice around the Iwa shinobi then Danzo will most definitely want her to be a part of Root. Minato shivered. Danzo and Root were not a good place. Minato looked back to Hikari who was now conversing with Itachi and Shisui. He couldn't help but notice some similarities Hikari had with his wife Kushina. Hikari had the same eyes Kushina did. The eyes of true loneliness.

"We'll take her back." Minato reassured Hikari, Itachi, and Shisui. Hikari and Itachi still a bit frightened by the Iwa superior's actions smiled as Shisui grabbed them into a hug.

Fugaku looked towards Minato and frowned. "Are you sure about this? She'll have to take a lot of test to be a citizen of Konoha. And seeing how she's an orphan, she'll have to go to the orphanage or worse become a part of Danzo's Root."

"She won't be an orphan. I'm gonna go adopt her with Kushina." Minato replies smiling at the sight of the three children. "I won't let Danzo get her."

"Really. Minato." Fugaku placed a hand upon his head and smiled. "How's Kushina going to react to this?"

"I'm sure she'll love her." Minato said as he and Fugaku brought the three children home. Fugaku couldn't help but to notice that something was wrong with his son. He couldn't pinpoint what was wrong but he knew that something had changed within his son.

'Maybe it was Iwagakure kidnapping him…' Fugaku thought to himself as he watched his son converse with Hikari and Shisui.

Whatever it may have been, this day changed Itachi Uchiha completely. He saw just how irrational shinobi could be when peace has vanished. He saw how cruel the world was.

'I don't want to end up like them.' Itachi thought to himself as he continued to walk with Hikari and Shisui.

Once they reached the village, Fugaku had to take Shisui and Itachi home. Both Shisui and Itachi begrudgingly said their goodbyes to Hikari. Minato then went up and tapped Hikari's shoulder. Hikari looked up at him and Minato asked if he could talk to her about something. Hikari hesitantly nodded and walked up to him. Minato crouched down to her height and began to talk.

"I don't think I've really introduced myself. I'm Minato Namikaze. The person who looks like Itachi-kun was my friend Fugaku Uchiha. Itachi-kun is his son while Shisui-kun is his nephew. Um how do I put it… you will have to take a few tests to become a citizen…" Minato said as Hikari hesitantly nods her head.

"But you don't have to worry! I'll be there with you okay?" Minato added as Hikari looked at him suspiciously.

"Minato-san why are you nice to me? Not all adults are nice to me…" Hikari grumbled out as she stared down at the floor.

"Well… everyone's a bit different from each other… I just happened to be nicer than most adults… C'mon follow me. I'll show you the place where you'll most likely have your tests." Minato said as he guided Hikari to the hokage tower.

"Are the tests going to hurt?" Hikari asks innocently as Minato shakes his head. Once they had arrived at the hokage tower, Minato made Hikari wait outside the office door so that he could give the hokage the results of his mission. Hikari looked around the hokage tower when suddenly a woman with flaming red hair walked into the hokage tower grumbling about something.

"He better be here." The red head began to walk back and forth as Hikari watched her. Sensing she was being watched, the red head turned to Hikari and smiled.

"Hi there! What are you doing here? Are you waiting for your parents 'ttebane?" the red head ranted as Hikari looked at her amused.

"My parents passed away a long time ago. I'm here to take a test…" Hikari answered as the red head's facial expression became a guilty one.

"I'm sorry for your lost," the red head bowed as Hikari began to giggle.

"It's okay. You're funny!" Hikari giggled as the red head smiled.

"Sorry. I never asked for your name. My name's Kushina if you're wondering 'ttebane." Kushina asked as Hikari looked up to her smiling.

"My name's Hikari. It's nice to meet you Kushina-san. You know you're one of the nice adults!" Hikari giggled noticing the use of ttebane.

Kushina looked at her curiously. "Hikari-chan what do you mean 'one of the nice adults'?"

Hikari frowned. "Not all adults are nice to me."

Kushina nodded as if understanding what she meant. Before Kushina could ask Hikari another question, Hikari's stomach grumbled. Hikari looked down embarrassed while Kushina merely chuckled.

"Do you want to get some food with me Hikari-chan? You don't have to worry about that test thing… you could probably do it later after you eat." Kushina asked the young girl. Hikari looked hesitant. She slowly nodded her head as Kushina pulled her out of the hokage tower.

"C'mon I know this really great ramen stand 'ttebane!" Kushina said as she pulled Hikari along.

Hikari giggled as she thought to herself 'I'm sure Minato-san won't mind…'

Meanwhile after Hikari had left with Kushina, Minato went out of the office to get Hikari. Minato stood there shocked.

"Where did she go?" Minato said to himself as he returned to the hokage office. He returned to the hokage office and explained the situation to the hokage. The hokage merely chuckled before looking into his crystal ball.

"It seems Kushina dragged her to go eat Minato." The Third Hokage stated as both he and Minato looked into the crystal ball. There you could see Kushina and Hikari eating ramen at Ichiraku.

"Ah forgive me Hokage-sama. I will go get her after she finishes eating." Minato said bowing before he left the hokage tower to head towards Ichiraku.

Once he reached Ichiraku, Hikari was patiently waiting for Kushina to finish her fifth bowl of ramen. Hikari noticed Minato instantly and smiled up at him. She then said, "Hi Minato-san. I'm sorry I wasn't there waiting for you at hokage tower. I was hungry so Kushina-san brought me here to feed me."

"It's okay Hikari-chan." Minato reassured her before turning towards his wife. "So you already met Hikari-chan…"

"Yup!" Kushina said wiping her mouth on a napkin. Minato smiled and looked towards the curious Hikari.

"Hikari-chan, this is my wife Kushina although you've already met." Minato said scratching his head in embarrassment. Hikari nodded her head understanding.

"Do I have to go take my test right now Minato-san?" Hikari asked.

"Yeah. C'mon me and Kushina will take you there." Minato said as he left the ramen stand with Kushina and Hikari. They brought her to hokage who quickly places her under a genjutsu and brings her to Inoichi to evaluate her mind.

"So… where did you find Hikari-chan?" Kushina asked her husband as they waited for Hikari to wake up.

"She was actually found by Itachi-kun and Shisui-kun when they were kidnapped; she even helped them escape." Minato explained to his wife. Kushina looked at him confused.

"How did she help them escape?" Kushina asked curiously.

"Itachi and Shisui were in a cave hiding from the Iwa shinobi and Hikari used ice to help them convince the Iwa shinobi that there was no one in the cave. Therefore, since she used ice she most likely has Ice Release as her kekkei genkai. Considering the fact that she stated that she was from Kirigakure, it's probable that she's from the Yuki Clan." Minato explained as Hikari began to stir in her sleep.

Kushina looked towards Hikari sadly, "She passed the test… but what's going to happen to her after she become a Konoha citizen?"

"That's the thing… I was planning on adopting her with you."

Kushina's eyes widen in surprised. "Adopting her? We're not even thirty yet Minato. I mean I really enjoy her company but do you really think we can handle taking care of a little girl 'ttebane?"

"Well if we don't then Danzo might take her to become a part of Root…" Minato said sighing. He didn't want anything to happen to this little girl. Kushina looked back at the sleeping girl and then back to her husband.

"Do you think we can do it? That it's possible?" Kushina asked as Minato began to chuckle.

"Nothing's impossible Kushina. Even the word 'impossible' says 'im' 'possible'." Minato said reassuring his wife. Kushina smiled and nodded. They were going to adopt Hikari.

A few weeks passed since Minato Namikaze and his wife Kushina formally adopted Hikari. Many things have changed. The Third Shinobi World War had already ended. Minato was announced the Yondaime Hokage while Kushina realizes that she's pregnant. But even then, happiness doesn't last forever… especially for the girl named Hikari…


	2. Chapter 2

**Adoption**

The young five year old Hikari wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to keep her adopted father's last name. Sure her new last name would tell everyone that she was the adopted daughter of their beloved Yondaime Hokage but still… she _wasn't_ actually their daughter. Hikari thought about it and decided to change her last name to Namikaze when her adopted parents have their real daughter. Until then, her last name would be Yuki, the clan who had the same kekkei genkai as her.

Hikari began to look for her jacket when Kushina knocked on her door. Hikari quickly found her jacket and opened the door for Kushina. Hikari's adopted mother smiled at her. "There's someone me and Minato would like you to meet."

Kushina then led Hikari out to the living room where she saw a man with spiky white hair conversing with her adopted father. Hikari looked at them curiously until the man with spiky white hair noticed Kushina and Hikari's presence.

"Oh so you're Hikari-chan! Nice to meet you! I'm Jiraya! I'm your and Naruto's godfather!" Jiraya exclaimed as he began to shake Hikari's hand. Hikari stood there confused. Hikari turned to Kushina who laughed nervously.

"We decided to name your sister Naruto, Hikari-chan. After the main character in Jiraya-san's novel." Kushina explained while rubbing her stomach. Hikari turned to look at Jiraya who smiled and waved a book in front of her.

"This is the book I wrote where your parents took the name from. You can have it if you like." Jiraya said as he handed _The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi_ to Hikari. Hikari smiled at him.

"Thank you very much Jiraya oji-san!" Hikari said bowing to the Sennin. Jiraya stood there shocked at Hikari's overly politeness. Minato and Kushina laughed at Jiraya's stupor when he finally snapped out of it.

"Hikari-chan… what do you call your parents?" Jiraya said placing his hand under his chin. Hikari looked at him before responding.

"Otou-san and Okaa-san!" Hikari smiled as Jiraya facepalmed. Hikari looked at him confused.

"She's a really polite kid… a sweetheart too…" Jiraya mumbled out as Hikari looked back towards the book he gave her. Hikari looked towards Kushina.

"Okaa-san may I please go to the Uchiha Residence to go show this to Itachi and Shisui?" Hikari asked as Kushina nodded her head. Hikari smiled as she walked out the door and into the Konoha streets.

"Be careful Hikari!" Kushina shouts after her until her figure is no longer in sight. Kushina sighs as Minato nervously laughs.

"Hikari gets her overly politeness from the Uchihas… specifically Itachi and Shisui her two best friends." Minato explained to Jiraya. Jiraya nodded understanding.

"So is she going to be a shinobi like you two?" Jiraya asked curiously as Kushina and Minato both looked at each other and nodded.

"There really isn't any other way since she already awoke her kekkei genkai since she was three… And Itachi-kun and Shisui-kun tend to be her motivation and since they're going, she's going to the Academy as well…" Minato said looking towards Jiraya.

"And since Danzo might go after her because of her kekkei genkai, this one over here taught her the rasengan." Kushina said glaring at her husband. Hikari had nearly injured herself when she performed the full rasengan for the first time. Jiraya's eyes bulged out in surprised.

"Hikari knows how to do the rasengan?!" Jiraya asked surprised that a five year old could do an advance jutsu such as the rasengan. Minato and Kushina merely shrugged their shoulders.

"Weren't you listening Jiraya-sensei? Hikari can do the rasengan. Well sometimes at least." Minato said bluntly as Jiraya continued to look surprised.

"Hikari-chan is going to grow up to be a splendid shinobi…" Jiraya finally choked out as Kushina and Minato began to chuckle at Jiraya's expression.

"She sure is…" Kushina said smiling at the memory of Hikari's reason to becoming a shinobi.

"_I want become a shinobi so that I can protect the people I love!" _

Once Hikari had arrived at the Uchiha Residence, she was greeted by a slightly thinner Mikoto. Hikari looked at Mikoto confused on why she did not seem pregnant anymore; however, she stopped herself from asking since she had thought that if she asked it would be considered rude.

"Good morning Mikoto-san." Hikari greeted the older woman as Mikoto smiled at her.

"Good morning to you too Hikari-chan. If you're looking for Itachi and Shisui, they are in Sasuke's new room." Mikoto explained as Hikari looked at her confused. Who was Sasuke?

"Oh sorry about this Hikari-chan. I forgot you and your parents haven't been informed about Itachi's new baby brother." Mikoto said scratching her head in embarrassment. Mikoto then brought Hikari into the home and guided her to Sasuke's room. Once they were in Sasuke's room, Hikari found both Itachi and Shisui staring into a crib as she walked closer and closer to them. By then, Mikoto had already left to make snacks for the three children and prepare milk for her infant.

She looked at them curiously before Itachi motioned for her to look. In the crib, she saw a little infant with a patch of black hair upon his head. He looked similar to Itachi except he doesn't have those "lines" on his face.

A few moments after Hikari had arrived in Sasuke's room, Sasuke had woke up and began crying for what Hikari assumed was food. Itachi gently got Sasuke out of the crib and began rocking back and forth handing him towards his mother when she came back into the room. Mikoto managed to get the three children out of the room while she fed Sasuke.

Once they were in the living room they found a plate of snacks waiting for them. Hikari looked at Itachi and Shisui and asked, "So just so we're clear… that was your younger brother right Itachi?"

Itachi nodded his head as Shisui looked at Hikari and saw her holding a book. "What's that Kari?"

"My godfather gave it to me. He said he wrote it." Hikari said with a smile on her face. Shisui grabbed the book from her hands and looked at it shocked.

"Jiraya the Sennin is your godfather!?" Shisui exclaimed in surprised while Hikari grabbed the book from his hands and smacked him over the head with it.

"Shisui. You can't be too loud especially if Sasuke is here." Hikari berated him as he rubbed his head. Itachi merely chuckled at her actions.

"Geez. What am I going to do with you two? You two are both younger than me and yet you two seem to love hurting me." Shisui exaggerated with hurt expression on his face. It only caused Hikari and Itachi to chuckle even more.

Shisui then ran and grabbed the book out of Hikari's hands and said, "Why don't we read this together outside so we don't bother Sasuke?"

Itachi nodded and said "That's a good idea Shisui."

"Hey! Shisui! That was my idea!" Hikari complained as the three of them began to exit the Uchiha Residence.

Shisui merely stuck his tongue out at her. "You snooze you lose Kari! Should've said it earlier!"

It took nearly an hour for the three kids to finish the book. And to say the least, something changed within each of them. Hikari looked towards Itachi and Shisui before speaking, "I think the protagonist has a great goal of breaking the curse in the shinobi world."

Itachi and Shisui nodded at what Hikari had just said. Itachi looked towards his friend and asked, "Kari… why do you want to be a shinobi?"

Hikari looked at him surprised before regaining her composure. "I want to become a shinobi to protect the ones I love. I couldn't protect my real parents and my older brother so I thought that I could actually protect Minato and Kushina along with their daughter…"

Itachi and Shisui nodded understanding. Shisui then asked, "So wouldn't Sasuke and your sister be the same age then?"

Hikari nodded before adding, "Yeah… Otou-san and Okaa-san decided to name her after the protagonist in Jiraya oji-san's novel."

Itachi and Shisui tried to hide their expressions of shock but failed. Itachi then spoke up, "I believe that the protagonist is a male Kari…"

"Maybe Hokage-sama and Kushina-sama don't care…"

Hikari smiled nervously. "Otou-san and okaa-san are a bit… silly at times…"

Itachi and Shisui looked blankly at her as she continued to smile nervously. "Why the heck do you two keep looking at me like that!?" Hikari shouts in frustration.

"You might've gotten influenced by them." Itachi and Shisui both said snickering at her. Hikari looked at them and facepalm.

"I think you mean you guys got influenced by me…" Hikari mumbled out as she heard Mikoto's laugh from behind her. Hikari turned to her.

"Hikari isn't it time you return home?" Mikoto asked as she motioned to the sunset. Hikari's eyes widen as she quickly stood up.

"Thank you very much for having me today Mikoto-san." Hikari said as she quickly went out the Uchiha Residence. Before she could leave, Mikoto handed something to her. Hikari looked at it before looking back towards Mikoto for an explanation.

"Don't open it. Let Minato and Kushina open okay?" Mikoto said with a sinister face. Hikari stared at her blankly.

"Another prank to okaa-san?" Hikari simply asked. Mikoto nervously laughs as she sends Hikari back to her home.

On Hikari's way home, she couldn't help but to laugh at the type of friendship her adopted mother and Mikoto have.

'I wonder if Sasuke and Naruto would have the same friendship as them…'

Once Hikari had returned home, she quickly gave Kushina and Minato the "gift." She had wanted to return to her room but Kushina made her stay to see the gift that Mikoto gave them. Once Kushina opened the gift, there was an explosion of orange paint. Everything was covered with orange paint including Kushina, Minato, and Hikari.

Hikari looked around their kitchen and began to laugh as Kushina cursed the prank Mikoto gave her. Minato then looked into the box where the prank came out of from and saw a tag inside of it. When he tried to remove it another explosion happened. This time the explosion cleaned the room so no speck of paint was left. Kushina and Hikari looked around the kitchen surprised.

"Well at least she helped us clean it Kushina." Minato meekly said to his wife. Kushina nodded as Hikari slowly tried to go into her room.

"Hikari!" Kushina said as Hikari flinched. "Next time ask her what the prank is instead of going along with it."

Hikari nodded her head meekly as Minato sighed. "So Hikari anything exciting happened during your visit to the Uchiha Residence?"

Hikari nodded before answering, "I met Itachi's baby brother Sasuke."

Minato and Kushina's eyes widen. Minato and Kushina were not told that Mikoto had already given birth to her and Fugaku's second son. Kushina's eyes widen with excitement.

"So since you've already met him, who did he look more like Fugaku or Mikoto?" Kushina asked the silver haired girl. Hikari placed her hand on her chin to think.

"Hm… Sasuke looks more like Mikoto-san than Fugaku-san… Sasuke doesn't have those lines on his face like Itachi does." Hikari said as Minato and Kushina began to chuckle. Hikari looked at them confused. It wasn't like she was lying to them.

"How about we talk more about your day as we have dinner okay?" Kushina said as she ushered both Minato and Hikari to the dinner table. Hikari couldn't help but to smile at both her adoptive parents.

'When you're born Naruto, you're definitely going to love our parents.'

It was nearly one month until Naruto Namikaze would be born; Kushina and Hikari were stuck at home utterly bored out of their minds. Kushina couldn't leave the home because Minato forbade her to. Hikari couldn't leave the home because she had nothing to do since both Itachi and Shisui had fallen ill. Kushina and Hikari sat side by side trying to watch a television show but to with little avail.

Hikari frustrated with the boredom asked Kushina if she could teach her a few jutsus that can be used for the academy. Kushina's eyes began to sparkle as she quickly turned off the television and dragged Hikari outside.

"SO what do you want to learn Hikari-chan? I can show you how to climb trees 'ttebane." Kushina asked as she showed her how to climb a tree. Hikari looked up at Kushina who was now sitting on a branch.

Hikari began to make a frightened face, "Okaa-san! Please get down from there! It's dangerous for you and Naruto!"

"Don't worry Hikari! I won't get hurt! I can get down be myself!" Kushina slowly looked towards Hikari only to realize that she was too far up in the tree. Kushina's face darkened.

"I can't get down from this height…" Kushina mumbled under her breath. Hikari looked up at her worried.

"Okaa-san! Do you want me to get otou-san?" Hikari shouted up to Kushina. Kushina placed a hand on her chin and shook her head at Hikari.

"I can get down by myself…" Kushina said nervously as Minato suddenly appeared behind her. Minato quickly picked her up and hiraishined next to Hikari. Hikari looked on surprised as Kushina began to shout at Minato.

"I could get down myself Minato!" Kushina shouted out as Minato placed her next to Hikari.

Minato turned to Hikari and said, "If you want to climb a tree using only your feet then all you have to do is focus the chakra to your feet. But you have to make sure that the chakra is at equilibrium or else you're going to slip off the tree. Oh and next time hiraishin to me if Kushina does something dangerous again okay?"

Hikari nodded her head as Kushina began to shout at him. However, Minato quickly hirashined back to the hokage tower. Kushina looked back towards Hikari and sighed. "Sorry about that Hikari-chan… but wait what did Minato mean when he said to hirashin to him?"

Hikari looked up at her adopted mother and smiled nervously. "Otou-san taught me the Hiraishin no Jutsu…"

"Really!?" Kushina asked shocked. Kushina knew Hikari's knowledge of Justus was far beyond the expectations of her age group but still to be able to do an S-Rank Jutsu!?

"Hikari-chan… I can tell that you are going to be an amazing shinobi when you grow up." Kushina finally said knocking out of her daze.

"But okaa-san I'll have to be an amazing shinobi if I want to protect you, otou-san, and Naruto?" Hikari asked confused.

Kushina chuckled and smiled at Hikari, "So is that your dream Hikari-chan? To protect Minato, me, Naruto?"

"Um you come say that… I have two dreams actually okaa-san…"

Kushina looked at her curiously. "Two dreams?"

Hikari nodded her head before explaining. "My second dream is to make the shinobi world peaceful."

Kushina smiled at her. "Those are two nice dreams you have Hikari-chan."

Hikari looked up at Kushina and smiled. Before long they both had to return to their home because it was almost dinner time. When Hikari went to sleep later that night, Kushina had told Minato Hikari's dreams.

"Hikari-chan is a special one… I'm sure her dreams will come true…" Minato said to his wife and she frowned.

"But to be so young and have this dream…" Kushina said looking towards Hikari's closed bedroom door.

"It's the effects of war Kushina… it changes everyone in a different way… I supposed the war changed Hikari into a hopeful and kind person…"

It was October 10. Kushina Uzumaki was to go into labor today. Since Kushina was the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko, the hokage and a few top village officials had to create a plan that prevents the Kyuubi from coming out if the seal where to break after Kushina is done giving birth. For this matter the hokage had to send his adoptive daughter off to "play" with her friends.

"Do I have to go play with Itachi and Shisui?" Hikari looked up to the hokage with pleading eyes. She had a bad feeling something was going to happen. Minato nodded his head.

"Yes you have to Hikari. But please don't tell them of this okay? Just play with them. If it becomes too late can you please stay with Kakashi if Mikoto and Fugaku won't let you stay. Try to make of a lie on why you can't come back home tonight, okay?" Minato asked Hikari firmly.

Hikari hesitantly nodded her head before saying, "I'm sure Mikoto-san and Fugaku-san will let me stay at their house for a bit…"

Minato nodded before kissing Hikari's forehead. "Promise me that you'll be safe for me and Kushina okay?"

Hikari nodded her head before adding, "Don't forget about Naruto otou-san."

Minato laughed. "And Naruto."

Hikari laughed before heading out the door of the hokage mansion. "Be safe otou-san! Tell that to okaa-san for me okay?"

Minato nodded as Hikari's tiny figure began to disappear into the distance. After she had left, Minato couldn't help but sigh. As he walked back to the living room for the meeting with Kushina, Sandaime Hokage and his wife, he couldn't help but to say, "I hope it goes smoothly…"

When Minato finally reached the living room, he quickly stood next to Kushina. Once seeing the Yellow Flash present, the Sandaime Hokage, with his wife Biwako sitting next to him, began to speak. "Kushina, there is something I must explain to you about giving birth. It happened to Lady Mito, the previous jinchuuriki, too. During her labor, the Kyuubi's seal was nearly broken. I'm sorry, but as a precautionary measure, we're going to ask you to deliver the child somewhere away from the village, inside a barrier."

Minato turned to her and smiled a reassuring smile at her. "We have the seal to think of, so I will be accompanying you. Don't worry about Hikari-chan; I've sent her to have a play date with Itachi and Shisui and afterwards I told her to stay at the Uchiha Residence if she can or go to Kakashi's place."

Kushina nodded at her husband's words as she turned to look towards the Sandaime.

"Minato and Taji from the Anbu. Also I will send my wife, Biwako, to be with you. This is to be done in utmost secrecy. Not even little Hikari-chan knows where you are going. Naturally, I will assign bodyguards, but they will be Anbu under my direct orders." Both Kushina and Minato nodded at the Third Hokage's words. Minato then placed his hand over Kushina which caused her to look towards him.

"I'll go on ahead and prepare everything." Minato said reassuring her. Kushina nodded before Biwako gain her attention.

"I will take you there." Biwako said simply as Minato began to head out.

"Thank you very much. I appreciate it." Kushina thanked the older woman.

Eventually, the two women head out onto the streets of Konoha. On their way, they crossed paths with Mikoto carrying her youngest son Sasuke. Mikoto bowed as Biwako walked by. She became surprised when she saw Kushina. As Kushina walked by, she couldn't help but to gawk at the sight of Mikoto and her son.

"Oh my… was it a girl?" Kushina asked Mikoto as she shakes her head.

"It was a son. I could've swore Hikari-chan must've told you." Mikoto chuckled as Kushina kept on gawking at the infant.

"So cute. What's your name?" Kushina continued doting on Mikoto's son.

Mikoto smiled at her friend's actions. "It's Sasuke."

Biwako smiled upon hearing his name. "Oh, so he was named after the father of the Sandaime Hokage!"

Mikoto smiled at her as Sasuke began to stir in his sleep. "Yes, so that he will grow up to be a strong and fine shinobi. You will be giving birth soon too, right, Kushina? You should pick a name in advance."

Kushina smiles before telling her friend, "I already have. Her name will be Naruto. You'll be classmates, Sasuke, so be friends like your older siblings, okay?"

Kushina began to gently ruffle Sasuke hair. She then leaned in closer to Mikoto and asked, "By the way, does it really hurt?"

Mikoto sweatdrops. "So there's actually something that scares you, Kushina! I'm surprised!"

Kushina was then pulled on the hand by Biwako as Mikoto watched. "Let's go Kushina!"

"Oh, yes!" Kushina said shrugging her shoulders. She then waved good bye to her friend.

However before Biwako dragged her far enough, Kushina asks Mikoto if it was a bother to cook for Hikari tonight.

"It's no bother Kushina. Hikari-chan's an angel. Good luck trying to exterminate the rats in your home. See you!" Mikoto waved to Kushina as they both walked away from each other.

After Kushina knew Mikoto was far enough, she couldn't help but to mutter under her breath. "Rats? So that's the lie Hikari told Mikoto? That's there are rats in our house? But then again she always hated them…"

"Kushina! The details of your birthing are supposed to be top secret. Until we get to our location, you must avoid any contact, even with your friends." Biwako berated her as she rubs her hand on her head.

"Yes, I'm sorry." Kushina apologized as they near the outskirts of Konoha.

"Also, we are leaving the village secretly. If your labor pains begin, try not to cry out loud!" Biwako added as Kushina nervously nodded her head.

Meanwhile, Hikari and Itachi managed to defeat Shisui in a game of shogi. Shisui sighed before placing his head in his palm in embarrassment. Hikari and Itachi turned to each other and laughed. Soon afterwards, Mikoto into the living room with Sasuke in her arms to announced that it was time for dinner. Itachi, Hikari, and Shisui then calmly went into the kitchen and sat themselves for dinner. Unfortunately, Fugaku could not join them for dinner since he had to stay for overtime at the Police Force.

Eventually, Shisui had to return home as it was already nightfall. However, Mikoto sensed something eerie about the night sky and thought it would be best to walk Shisui home while Hikari stayed with Itachi and Sasuke at their home.

Hikari became increasingly frightened by the night sky. "Itachi… you don't think this chill that I'm feeling is an omen… right?"

Itachi couldn't answer. Hikari looked at him and Sasuke while the chilling air seemed to awaken Sasuke. Itachi tried to calm Sasuke down as Hikari looked towards the night sky.

'Something bad was going to happen.'

All around the village, citizens and shinobi noticed the chilling air that the night seemed to be exhibiting. Eventually, in a lone alley near the edge of the village, a masked man walked into the alley and summoned something.

Everyone in the village heard something that sounded exactly like a bomb. When they looked towards the sound, they found the Kyuubi standing there. The kyuubi's roar was heard throughout the village. Then the kyuubi began to attack the village.

Elsewhere, the third hokage got into his battle gear as he went out in an attempt to fight the kyuubi. He ordered all the Anbu to protect the innocent civilians who could not fend for themselves and to make sure the younger generation did not attempt to fight the kyuubi.

Hikari could hear the Kyuubi as it attacked the village. She knew something had happened to Kushina. Both she, Itachi, and Sasuke were now listening to the older shinobi and going to take shelter. However, Hikari had other plans. In the midst of everything, Hikari managed to escape the sight of the older shinobi and quickly attempted to Hiraishin to where Kushina and Minato was. She was not able to Hiraishin, but managed to locate where Kushina was due to her seal that Hikari placed on Kushina upon her request.

"Please be safe okaa-san otou-san Naruto." Hikari mumbled out loud as she continued to run towards one of the Yondaime's safe houses.

Once the older shinobi found a safe place where the citizens could be at, Itachi looked around and all he saw was rubble. Almost everything was destroyed. Sasuke began to cry again as Itachi comforted him.

"Kari… why do you think this is happening?" Itachi said turning to his companion. But to his surprise Hikari was no longer standing next to him. Itachi stood there shocked as he looked towards the Kyuubi in the far distance.

"Kari… you couldn't have possibly gone looking for Kushina-san and Hokage-sama… right?" Itachi said to himself as he continued to comfort the crying Sasuke.

"Just be safe Kari…"

Minato stood on top of his hokage mountain face staring down at the kyuubi. Once the kyuubi noticed his presence, he faced him.

"So you've taken notice of me." Minato said as the Kyuubi tilted his head to gather chakra. A ball was starting form near his mouth before he shot it towards the hokage.

"You won't get your way here!" Minato said as he formed hands signs. Then a giant seal appeared in front of the ball as it slowly shrunk. In the distance, a loud explosion goes off where Minato had sent the ball.

'For this large a scale, I'll have to be careful where I send it.' Minato thought as he eyed the explosion. He looked back towards the village and attempted to tell the Third Hokage what has happened but a masked figure appears behind him and attempts to grab him. Minato Hiraishin before the masked man could even teleport him to where he wanted.

"He flew away. He's fast. Next time, I'll get him faster. The instant we make contact." The masked man said as he looked down at the village and kyuubi.

Elsewhere, Minato falls to the ground having merely escaped the grasps of the masked man's grip. He began to think to himself as he got off the ground. 'My attack missed. But he materialized and instantly tried to drag me in. What is that jutsu?'

Minato looked up and saw the masked man materialized himself in front of him. The masked man laughed. "I won't let you get away."

'He uses the Teleportation jutsu too? Is that how he took Kushina and moved away so quickly? A shinobi who outmaneuvered the Anbu assigned under Lord Third's direct control… who slipped through a top-secret barrier… and who knew that the Kyuubi's Seal would weaken during childbirth. Furthermore, he undid the Kyuubi's Seal, tamed it and… went in and out of the barrier set up by Konoha without being caught. I know of only one shinobi capable of this.' Minato thought as he grabbed his special kunai off the floor and stood straight up at him.

"Are you Madara Uchiha?" Minato asked the masked man. The masked man removed the hood of his robe.

"No, that's impossible. He's dead." Minato said as the masked man tilted his head to the side.

"I wonder about that." The masked man said as he stared at the Hokage.

"At this point, it doesn't matter who you are. But why are you targeting the Hidden Leaf?" Minato questioned as the masked man gave a dry laugh.

"I could say I did it on a whim, or that I planned it, or that it's war, or that it's for peace." The masked man continued to say as chains began to come out of his arm robe.

Minato glared at him. He quickly got into a defensive pose. 'Whatever the case, he's no ordinary man! He can control the Kyuubi and his Teleportation Jutsu surpasses both Nidaime Hokage and mine. And he has some dangerous ideology. I must deal with him now or he'll be even more trouble than the Kyuubi! If I transport myself to the village now, he will follow and the battlefield will become even more chaotic.'

The masked man had already placed the chains around his wrists.

Minato continued analyzing him. 'If he's anything like Madara, I can't keep the Kyuubi under the Summoning Jutsu for too long. I just have to entrust the village to Sandaime Hokage. As for me… I must take this guy down right here!'

"Now that I have freed the Kyuubi, you people have no hope left!" The masked man shouts as he and Minato began to fight. Minato and the masked man began to charge at each other. Minato's body began to go through the masked man who eventually has him trapped in his chains for a split second.

'His flesh… my physical attacks have no effect on him, but he makes himself materialize to attack me. Namely, I can only aim for him when we both strike blows! But his risk lies during the moment of attack. And considering the time remaining on the Kyuubi's Summoning Jutsu, he doesn't relish a long battle either. The one who attacks an instant quicker than the other… will win this match!'

The masked man and Minato began to charge at each other once more. Minato threw one of his special kunai at the masked man. The kunai went through the masked man. As the two got closer and closer to each other, Minato created a rasengan. Before the masked man even knew it, the Minato in front of him was now behind him due to the fact that Minato Hiraishin to the kunai that had just went through the masked man.

The masked man's body came crashing down. 'Damn it! He flew to that kunai from earlier!'

"That was my Hiraishin: Ni no Dan." Minato said as the masked man quickly jumped to a nearby rock and panted. Minato had already placed his seal on him before he had gone to the rock.

"You got me. This is what is meant by 'elusive.' I should never have let down my guard." The masked man said as Minato suddenly appeared in front of him and attacked him. Minato quickly placed another seal on the masked man.

"A Contract Seal? He intends to separate the Kyuubi from me?"

"With this, the Kyuubi no longer belongs to you!" Minato said as the Kyuubi began to regain his senses. However, it still continued to wreak havoc upon the village.

The Sandaime Hokage stood in front of several Anbu and jonin. "You must avoid damage to the village! Chase the Kyuubi outside the village walls! Buy me time so that I can execute my jutsu! Do not slow down the attack!"

With that, the several Anbu and jonin went distract the Kyuubi.

"Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu! Appear… Monkey King Enma!" The Sandaime Hokage said as a large Monkey summon appeared in front of him.

"The Kyuubi? So the seal was broken?" Enma asked standing next to the Sandaime.

"We're going to chase it out of the village with the Adamantine Nyoi!" The Sandaime said as Enma transformed into a staff with Hiruzen wielding him. Enma quickly extended and began to push the Kyuubi back, finally pushing him out of the village streets. The Anbu and jonin began to help the Sandaime push the Kyuubi out of the village streets.

'Minato… where are you?' Sandaime thought as the Kyuubi was pushed further back.

Meanwhile, the masked man began to compliment Minato on being able to remove the contract the masked man had on Kyuubi and wounding him. "However… the Kyuubi will eventually be mine. I am going to rule the world… And there are so many ways to go about doing that."

With that, the masked man disappeared into thin air. Minato glared at the spot the masked man disappeared at. 'That tone… He's not joking around.'

In another part of the village, a group of jonin had seal the area to prevent any of the younger shinobi participate in removing the Kyuubi from the village. Kakashi Hatake stood with his friends as the listened to the superiors.

"Now listen up. You young shinobi are to stay away from Kyuubi." A man with piercing red eyes said as a girl with similar red eyes spoke up in front of him.

"What do you mean by that?"

"This is not a battle between villages. This is domestic trouble. There is no reason for you all to risk your lives." The man then turned to the girl with the similar red eyes. "You're a shinobi too. We are not guaranteed a long life. But my daughter… At least, pass on the Will of Fire to my grandchild. Make that your oath to your father. For I do believe in you."

Minato quickly appeared on top of the hokage monument to see that the Kyuubi was planning on shooting another ball at the village. He then summoned Gamabunta to make sure the Kyuubi stays in place. He stood on top of Gamabunta as he remembers what the masked man had said earlier. He puts his head down as he apologizes to Kushina in his mind. Minato then transported himself and the Kyuubi away from the village.

"Did he fly off with the Kyuubi?" Sandaime retorted as he hears a loud explosion towards the right of him. "That way!"

The Kyuubi lied there growling as Minato teleports a few hundred meters away from him carrying both Kushina and the newborn Naruto. Minato panted. "I must put up a barrier immediately. My chakra is almost…"

Kushina looked up towards her husband. "I can still do it, Minato."

Then chains began to shoot out from Kushina's back binding the Kyuubi in place. She began to cough as Minato looked over her worriedly.

"I'm going to draw the Kyuubi with me to my death. So we can delay the revival of the Kyuubi. I'll be able to save all of you with what little chakra I have left. Thank you for everything you've done for me." Kushina smiled weakly.

Minato looked at her and cried. "Kushina. It's because of you that I'm the Yondaime Hokage! You made me a man! And you made me both Hikari and Naruto's father! And yet…"

"Minato, don't give me that look! I'm happy that you loved me. And today… is Naruto's birthday. If I were to imagine me alive, and our future together, the four of us as a family… I can't see us having anything but a happy life. If I were allowed just one regret, it's that I won't be able to see both Hikari and Naruto grow up. How I wish I could have seen that." Kushina said weakly as she began to pant.

"Kushina, there is no need for you to die with the Kyuubi. Preserve what little chakra you have left for a reunion with Naruto." Minato said as another tear went down his cheek. Kushina looked at him confused.

"I'll seal all of your remaining chakra inside Naruto. It will be part of an Eight Signed Seal. Then I'll take the Kyuubi with me with the only Sealing Jutsu I can do since I'm not a Jinchuuriki, the Reaper Death Seal!" Minato said as Kushina looked at him horrified.

"But the caster that uses that jutsu…!"

"And one more thing. I will only seal half of the Kyuubi. Sealing a power this immense is physically impossible. It's also strategically unwise. If you take the Kyuubi and its seal with you when you die, there won't be a Jinchuuriki around when he reemerges. That will upset the balance of power between the Biju. The Reaper Death Seal will seal half of the Kyuubi with me forever. As for the other half of the Kyuubi… I will seal it inside Naruto with the Eight Signed Seal!

I know what you want to say. But remember what Master Jiraya said about world upheaval and the calamities that would follow. Two things were confirmed for me today. That masked man who attacked you today is a harbinger of disaster! And the one who will stop him is this child! This infant whose godfather is Master Jiraya and the younger sister of a prodigy like Hikari. She will open up the future as a jinchuuriki. I don't know why, but I'm convinced of this." Minato placed Naruto on the floor as Kushina looked at him in horror.

"But Minato…!" Kushina said as the Sandaime Hokage appeared behind her and looked in shock.

"Reaper Death Seal!" Minato said as the spirit of the Shinigami appeared above him.

"Let's put our trust in this child! She's our daughter, after all! When I'm finished with the Reaper Death Seal, I will seal your chakra inside Naruto. When she tries to control the Kyuubi's powers as a Jinchuuriki, I want you to help her out." Minato said as a figure ran closer and closer to the Sandaime Hokage.

Hikari had run up to the Sandaime Hokage panting as she saw both her adoptive parents standing with Naruto next to the trapped Kyuubi. She looked at them and whispered. "Otou-san… Okaa-san…"

Sandaime Hokage was shocked to see Hikari there next to him but quickly managed to hold her back as she attempted to help her parents. "You'll only get hurt Hikari…"

"But Sandaime-sama…" Hikari looked desperately towards Minato and Kushina. She had already stopped struggling. Minato and Kushina paid her no attention.

"She is our daughter. That is why I don't want to put such a terrible burden on her! And also, why use the Reaper Death Seal? If it's just so I can meet a grown-up Naruto even if it's just for a short while. I want you to stay by Naruto and Hikari as they grow up and protect them. I don't get it! To keep the balance of Biju? For the sake of the nation and the village? Why must Naruto be sacrificed?! Why must you sacrifice yourself for me?!" Kushina shouts as she begins to pants. Hikari looked at her worriedly as she looked back towards her father.

"To forsake one's nation, and one's village, is the same as forsaking one's child. Your own homeland was destroyed, so you of all people should know… the harsh life that awaits those without a country. Besides, our family is… shinobi. And finally, even if I were to live, I'm no match to you. Even though you won't have much time with her, there are some things only you as her mother can tell Naruto. Things that I can't. That's a mother's role. I'm not doing this just for you. I'm doing this for Naruto. I will gladly die to protect my family. It's my duty as the father of the house." Minato said as he held Naruto in his arms while staring at Kushina.

Hikari looked up to see two Jonin appeared behind the Sandaime Hokage as he tried to enter the barrier. Even he didn't want what Minato was about to do. The Sandaime looked towards them sadly. "Those two are planning to take care of Kyuubi themselves!"

Then the shinigami then grabbed the blue spirit within himself. The shinigami's hand went through Minato's chest to grab the Kyuubi.

"Seal!" And with that half of the Kyuubi's spirit came out and was sealed within Minato. The Kyuubi shrunk due to the Minato taking half of its spirit.

"It's the Reaper Death Seal, after all… He actually used it…" Sandaime Hokage said looking in disbelief. Hikari looked up towards him.

"But the Kyuubi…" Hikari mumbled as she looked desperately towards the Kyuubi and her adoptive father.

Minato quickly grabbed Naruto and summon an altar. "All right, next is the Eight Signed Seal. I will seal the Kyuubi within Naruto."

Kushina began to cough in pain as Minato walked over to help her. Hikari's eyes widen as she saw the Kyuubi look towards Naruto.

"No way… NARUTO!" Hikari shouts as Kyuubi lifts his arm to attack Naruto. Both Kushina and Minato's eyes widen. They ran towards Naruto to intercept Kyuubi's hand.

Hikari's eyes widen in shock as both Minato and Kushina became impaled by the Kyuubi's hand. They had managed to protect Naruto. "Otou-san… Okaa-san…"

"I said that this was the father's duty." Minato said in pain.

"Then all the more, since I'm her mother!" Kushina began to pant even more. "This is the first time I lost an argument. Okay, I understand that you're determined to do this."

"Thank you Kushina…" Minato said as he summoned Gerotora. "Gerotora, I'm going to give you the Sealing Formula's Key. Take it immediately to Master Jiraya and store it away."

"Naruto… is she going to be like a jinchuuriki like okaa-san?" Hikari asked the Sandaime and he nodded his head.

"You have my word. I confirm the key is in my possession. And now, I'm off." Gerotora said as he disappeared to return back to his world.

"That should do it… Kushina, my time is running out. I'm going to start the Eight Signed Seal. I want to put some of my chakra in Naruto too. It'll be quite a while before we can see her. Let's say what we want to say."

"Naruto… don't be picky. Eat lots and grow strong. Make sure you bathe every day and stay warm. Also don't stay up late. You need lots of sleep. And make friends. You don't need a lot of friends. Just a few… ones you can really really trust. I wasn't very good at it, but keep up with your studies and practice your ninjutsu hard. Remember that everyone has strengths and weaknesses. So don't get too depressed if you can't do something well. Respect your teachers and upperclassmen at the Academy.

Oh, and this is important. It's about the Three Prohibitions for a shinobi. Be extra careful about lending and borrowing money. Put your mission wages into your savings account. No alcohol until you're twenty. Too much can ruin your health, so drink in moderation. Another Prohibition is women. But I really can't say much since me, you, and Hikari are all women… but all you need to remember is that this world is made up of men and women. So it's only natural if you take an interest in a boy. But just don't get hooked on with bad men. Find someone like your father. A person who loves you the way you are.

Speaking of the Three Prohibitions, be wary of Jiraya Sensei, 'ttebane. Naruto, from now on, you're going to face lots of pain and hardship. Be true to yourself. Have a dream and have the confidence to make that dream come true! There's so much… Oh so much more that I want to pass on to you. I wish I could stay with you and Hikari longer. Even if we can't be there for you… I know your nee-chan Hikari will always be there for you… I love you both… Minato, I'm sorry I used up your time." Kushina said sobbing while Minato shook his head.

"Oh, it's okay. Naruto, my message to you is… Listen to your motor-mouth mother. Eight Signed Seal." Minato said closing his eyes. And with that the Kyuubi was sealed within Naruto and both Kushina and Minato dropped dead to the floor in front of Naruto.

Hikari with tears in her arms quickly ran to her baby sister who had woken up crying after the sealing was complete. She had tried to calm Naruto down like how she saw Itachi did to Sasuke, and eventually Naruto went back to sleep. She looked towards Minato and Kushina's dead bodies and began to cry. The Sandaime Hokage placed his hand on top of her head.

"It's okay Hikari…" The Sandaime Hokage said as Hikari still continued to cry.

'I couldn't keep my promise to protect you and okaa-san…'

It was a dark and cloudy day. All the shinobi, young and old, were dressed in black and had their eyes closed. In front of them was a memorial for the shinobi who had died protecting the village from the Kyuubi attack. In the middle of the memorial was the picture of their beloved Yondaime Hokage and to the right of his picture was the picture of his wife Kushina Uzumaki and several others.

The Sandaime Hokage stood in the middle of the grieving shinobi. Behind him was Fugaku Uchiha. Even with his cold exterior, Fugaku couldn't help but to grieve for the loss of a close friend such as Minato and Kushina. He also had to pity their adoptive daughter Hikari. She didn't have parents again. He closed his eyes as he remembered the memories he had shared with Minato and Kushina.

The Sandaime opened his eyes and looked towards the Yondaime's picture. "Minato… Kushina… You both gave your lives… to protect Konoha and its future."

Every shinobi there had their eyes closed. The young Kakashi Hatake looked up towards the image of the Yondaime Hokage. His eyes looked down as he remembered all the memories he had with Minato and his team. "Minato Sensei…"

A few days pass and the Sandaime Hokage had a meeting with the other village elders concerning the recent Kyuubi attack.

"There are too many unanswered questions surrounding this recent Kyuubi incident." The Sandaime crossed his arms as he said this.

"I thought that Kushina's seal had been broken. But that doesn't explain why Biwako and the Anbu were killed." Koharu said looking towards the hokage.

"Which means someone is behind this." Homura added.

"Like someone from the Uchiha?" Danzo said as both Homura and Koharu looked in his direction.

The Sandaime Hokage looked perplexed. "Why do you say that?"

"Even if the Kyuubi broke free, it would have just gone wild. Without someone to control it, it couldn't have caused this incident." Danzo explained as both Homura and Koharu understood what he was trying to convey.

"Hence, the Sharingan…"

"The Uchiha can control the Kyuubi with their kekkei genkai…"

"But for what purpose…"

"To regain their position of power within Konohagakure."

"I see…"

The Sandaime Hokage opened his eyes to look at his former teammates and rival. "That's just conjecture."

Danzo stared at the Sandaime Hokage before continuing. "We must increase our surveillance of the Uchiha. We must keep them under 24-hour watch."

The Sandaime glared at him and angrily said, "That's bound to incite them unnecessarily!"

"Let the Anbu do it secretly." Danzo said trying to convince the Hokage to sway towards his favors.

"Better to be safe than sorry." Homura adds as Koharu nods her head in agreement.

The Sandaime Hokage stood up. "Wait! We don't know if the Uchiha are responsible for this."

"That's precisely why this is necessary. And if nothing comes out of it… it will be to the Uchiha's benefit." Danzo said as both Koharu and Homura nods in agreement.

The Sandaime Hokage merely looks at them as they continued to argue over what to do.

Mikoto Uchiha walked through the halls of the hospital carrying Sasuke in one arms and leading Itachi with the other. There were many injured patients in the hospital. Because it was a gloomy day and the day of the hokage's funeral, the hospital seemed more depressing than it actually was. When she had finally arrived at her destination, Itachi had spotted Hikari sitting down on the floor across from a window. Hikari had her knees together and her head down. Mikoto had released Itachi's hand by then and he went to comfort his friend.

"Everything's okay Kari…" Itachi said as he tried to comfort his crying friend. Hikari did not even look up as she shook her head. Itachi began to wrap his arms around his crying friend.

Mikoto looked at them before looking through the window to find a blonde infant sleeping peacefully in her crib. Mikoto began to frown sadly. "Kushina…"

Hikari had entered the Hokage office with red puffy eyes. She looked towards the Sandaime Hokage and bowed. The Sandaime motioned for her to take a seat and she hesitantly takes a seat down.

Hikari looked at him before he suddenly coughs. "How have you been Hikari-chan?"

Hikari tried to smile at him. "I'm okay Sandaime-sama."

The Sandaime Hokage sighed. He knew that she was lying. "Hikari-chan… I have to tell you something… from now on you can't have any contact with Naruto until she reaches the age of five."

Hikari's eyes widen before she jumps out of her seat. "What? But Hokage-sama! She's Minato and Kushina's daughter! Why can't I have contact with her until then!?"

"Because it is for your safety and her safety as well. You've heard of the stories of when Kushina was younger and was often hated on by the rest of the villagers with the exception of Minato and Mikoto? Well, I believe the villagers will attempt to hurt Naruto based on the assumption that she is the Kyuubi herself. I know what you're going to say next. You could protect Naruto from them but then they would get suspicious of the relationship between you and her. Even if we've never made it official that you were their adopted daughter, the villagers just believe that you were just close to the Yondaime. Therefore, they may connect the Yondaime to Naruto. Besides if word gets out that the Yondaime had another daughter who was the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, then I have no doubt in my mind that Iwagakure or even Kumogakure may come to kidnap her for her powers. Thus, placing you and her in danger." The Sandaime Hokage explained as Hikari shrunk back into her seat and looked down towards the floor.

"But who is going to take care of her? She's only an infant." Hikari asked as she looked back up at the hokage.

"I will have an Anbu raise her until the age of 5. Once she passes the age of five, I will give her an apartment where she'll live by herself." Hiruzen said as Hikari thought about something.

"After she turns five… can she live with me? It'll be safer that way especially if any villagers attempt to hurt her for being the Kyuubi itself." Hikari asked as Hiruzen shook his head.

"That is not possible Hikari. It is not possible for another child to live with them outside of the orphanage. However, if the said child is a jonin and still wants to live with the younger child, then it is possible for you to stay with Naruto."

Hikari blinked in surprised. "So what you're saying is, if I become a jonin… Naruto can stay with me…"

The Sandaime Hokage nodded his head. Hikari smiled before she realized that it was going to take her a few years to become a jonin. "Sandaime-sama, may you please register me into the Academy when I'm am past six years old?"

The Sandaime Hokage looked at her before nodding. "Yes I will. But you do know that becoming a shinobi means risking your life everyday right Hikari-chan?"

"Yes sir. I understand. But becoming a shinobi would be something that Minato and Kushina would want right?" Hikari said calling her adoptive parents by their first names. The Sandaime Hokage looked at her understanding.

"Very well. I will make sure to help you register into the Academy when you are old enough. Now here. These are the keys to your new apartment and the map to where your apartment is located." Hikari was handed a key and a map. She looked at the hokage curiously.

"I doubt you would like to be adopted again. I thought that maybe you would like your own place to stay." Hikari smiled a genuine smile at the Sandaime Hokage.

"Thank you very much Sandaime-sama!" Hikari then went to hug the former as he patted her head.

"Just make sure not to tell anyone what I've told you today okay? Some people aren't very good people Hikari-chan." The Sandaime said as Hikari looked at him.

"So I can just tell them you gave me an apartment right?" Hikari asked as the hokage chuckled and nodded.

"Yes. Yes."

"Thank you very much Sandaime-sama!" Hikari said as she left the hokage office.

As Hikari walked to her new apartment a single thought went through her mind.

'I will definitely become a great shinobi to protect Naruto. Don't you worry okaa-san otou-san… I'll protect her no matter what even if it takes my life in the process.'


End file.
